Musical instruments such as violas and violins typically comprise a neck and a body having an upper surface and a lower surface separated by a rib. Strings, which run from a pegbox or head provided on the neck of the instrument and over a bridge provided on the upper surface of the instrument body, are attached to a tailpiece which is secured via a pin to the bottom of the instrument body. The body typically comprises a hollow resonance box in acoustic instruments of the violin or viola type, the components of which are joined by a moisture- and heat-sensitive glue, as is known in the art, or the body may also be solid such as in the case of electric violins and violas, which use one or more electric pickups and amplification devices to increase the sound of string vibrations. The instrument body and head are generally made of wood and coated with a varnish for protection and aesthetic enhancement, as is known in the art. A chinrest is generally provided on the upper surface of the instrument body; the chinrest is clamped to the instrument body using conventional hardware or variations on the convention. Players rest their jaws/chins on the chinrest when playing, and some players necks come into contact with the chinrest hardware and instrument body. Some players prefer to play in a traditional style, i.e. without a chinrest, and rest their jaws/chins directly on the top surface of the instrument, with some players' necks coming into contact with the instrument body.